Some business owners might have a fair knowledge of how the Internet works and how their industries are represented online. Some may have had little contact with the Internet. Either way, it's difficult to find the answer to "what should I expect of a website" and "what goals should I set". Why? Because you might not know exactly what can be achieved with a website or you're expecting unrealistic ten fold returns from a low budget.
A website should give you a return on your investment (ROI). Usually that takes the form of targeted traffic that converts to sales, growing awareness for your business or organisation, brand recognition etc. You should not settle for a website that brings you nothing in return. If you are willing to invest in it to begin with (to have it built) you have to continue investing in it until it gives you something back.
You should set your expectations in relation with various factors such as industry profile, specific characteristic of your online audience, competitor strategy, how competitive has your online industry become, expected trends in the industry and so on. You have to take all these factors in consideration. Unfortunately it's very difficult to set realistic goals without taking in consideration the factors mentioned above,
Discussing Goals with the SEO Specialist
The first thing search engine optimisation companies have to do is help you set your goals. Make sure to let them know your needs and expectations and together you can discuss them and see:
- What is feasible and what not
- What benefits your company and what doesn't
- What are the areas where you have to focus on
- What returns you should expect and a realistic time scale to achieve them
- How to be one step ahead of your competitors
In your discussions with a SEO company make sure to pay attention, try to understand what they're telling you. If there are things you don't understand don't be afraid to ask. This will help you keep better track of what goes on and where your money is going.
Establishing a Marketing Budget
If you start off with a small budget then don't be put off by the results you get. It takes time and energy to achieve a strong search engine presence and you should not expect wonders right away. You should expect to build a relationship with your search engine optimisation company as the focus of your campaign is likely to shift and mature over time. A good SEO company is able to direct resources to where they are most needed early on - establishing a brand presence online, for example - and then adapt the search engine promotion campaign as you require, as your brand and company grows and as search engines evolve.
A trustworthy search engine optimisation company will work with you to find a budget that best suits your needs and a trustworthy search engine optimisation company will not promise miracles.
It is difficult to provide specific guidelines to establishing a budget because of the large number of factors involved. You can, however, set two maximum budget limits. The first one is the one you should communicate to your SEO company. They will tell you what results can be achieved for that money. They will probably tell you that with extra investment you can obtain further results. If the projected ROI satisfies you, you can then push the dedicated SEO budget over to the second maximum limit.
SEM Vision in Creating a Website
This article was first published on 07 August 2004 and does not necessarily match current events or the current opinions and views of bigmouthmedia ltd.
